US releases video of Russian jet’s encounter with US warship in Black Sea

The US 6th Fleet has made public a video which is described as showing the Russian jet interaction with the USS Ross warship in the Black Sea on May 30. The video was shot aboard the sea vessel.

The description of the
video on the Navy’s 6th Fleet website says that both
were“operating in
international waters and airspace.”

“[USS] Ross continued on her mission after observing the
aircraft return to base. At no time did Ross act aggressively nor
did she deviate from her planned operations. The conduct of her
crew has been and continues to be professional. Ross’ Sailors
observed that the SU 24 carried no weapons – wings were
‘clean,’” the statement added.

However, according to a source in the Russian armed forces, cited
by RIA Novosti news agency: “The crew of the ship acted
provocatively and aggressively, which concerned the operators of
monitoring stations and ships of the Black Sea Fleet.” That
was the reason why the Russian jet had to be scrambled to warn
off the ship near Russian waters, the source said.

Saturday's incident is the latest in a series of border
surveillance confrontations between Russia and the West.
Europeans, especially the Baltic States, have repeatedly
scrambled their jets saying Russian aircraft were coming close to
their borders.

The Americans operate several warships in the Black Sea, close to
Russia’s naval bases. This includes NATO vessels operated by US
allies, which keep showing up in the region.